Irreverent, whimsical...

The following is reprinted from Library Journal.

“Free-spirited sociology professor Blip Korterly writes "Uh-oh" across a bridge, and our narrator and his colleague, microbiology professor Flake Fountain, traces the disastrous effects of a virus back to that moment. Although friends, Blip and Flake are polar opposites. Blip believes he is being poisoned as part of a plot against him, while Flake spends his days focusing on bits of DNA. When Blip is arrested, he's sure something sinister is going on in the town jail. Not only is that true, but Flake is being lured into taking part in it. Flake's job is to find a cure for the highly contagious Pied Piper virus, which breaks down peoples' ability to communicate. While Blip gets rearrested so that he can investigate the mystery, Flake, because of the highly secret nature of the work, is taken into total isolation. Vigorito's... book was originally published in 2001, but because of its irreverent, whimsical style, it has attracted a cult following. Sprinkled throughout are philosophical rants and rhetorical questions (e.g., if oranges are called oranges, why aren't apples called reds?). The final apocalyptic vision is a twist not seen since Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle. ”

Review by Joshua Cohen, Mid-Hudson Library System, Poughkeepsie, NY.